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There’s nothing like a few tech toys tucked in among a pile of presents to bring some magic to the holiday season.

My children have actually jumped with joy over iPods, Google Nexus tablets and a PlayStation in holidays past. We’ve spent hours with gadgets like the Bop It and remote-control cars.

But even with those successes, I still get anxious as the gift giving season approaches. Can I deliver yet another tech hit? Will I have to spend hours putting it together? Will it hold my kids’ attention for more than a week? All my dad had to do was set up the Atari console, install Pong and enjoy the sound of his children screaming as they played their first video game. I’ll never forget that Christmas morning.

But these days, the stakes for parents are higher. Many kids are busy with multiplayer, online games. They know their way around video and music apps. How can any tech toy compete with Minecraft or Musical.ly? Besides, I want to do more than delight my children with tech gifts, which are often expensive. I want gadgets that will build a few skills such as problem-solving without an educational whiff.

Yep, that’s pressure.

Laurie Schacht, president and chief toy officer of The Toy Insider, a toy trade publication, gave me a pep talk. “Of course, kids want technology in their toy box,” she said. “The toys that incorporate technology in them are way beyond cool.”

The key, she said, is to find something that excites the gift giver as much as the receiver and to pick a gift that’s appropriate for your child’s interest level and skills. To do that, you’ll need to do some window shopping, either online or in brick-and-mortar stores.

The buzzwords for gifts geared to kids this year are smart toys, robots and coding. There are smart electronic dogs and a smart dinosaur that knows all the answers.

I’m particularly interested in toys that start in the real world and move to the digital, like making creatures out of Play-doh that “come to life” on a screen or Mattel’s kit to design your own video game. Where were they when I was growing up?

Smart toys for the young set

If you’ve ever witnessed children teasing Apple’s Siri with endless questions and insults, you’ve seen how engaging toys with artificial intelligence might be for a certain age group.

One of last year’s big hits was a talking, listening Hello Barbie. This year, Barbie has a smart home. Her Hello Dreamhouse comes with 100 voice-activated functions connected via Wifi. This Dreamhouse is pricey though, starting at $300.

The CogniToys Dino, aimed at children 6 to 9, is powered by IBM’s Watson supercomputer. Like a very good friend, Dino is willing to “answer questions, tell stories, play games, crack jokes and even lead guided meditations to engage children in educational play,” according to its website. One of Dino’s selling points is that it evolves as the child ages, with software updates that offer new experiences. That may make it easier to shell out the $99 Dino costs.

The creators of Dino “have taken great pains to vet the kinds of questions children will ask and Dino will answer,” said Christopher Raymond, the deputy editor, electronics department at Consumer Reports. For example, when asked “where do I come from?” Dino demurs, suggesting that the child ask a parent.

Many kids are naturally obsessed with the technology they see around them, the smartphones, tablets and fitness trackers such as Fitbit and Apple Watch. KD Interactive’s Kurio Watch, which at $59.99 is what Schacht calls “a lot of technology wrapped into a low price point,” was designed with those kids in mind. It’s an activity tracker that comes with a camera, games, including some that require movement, and that can — via a Bluetooth connection — make a phone call without an additional phone plan.

Robots are cool

Robots are always big with kids, with recent hits such as Sphero Star Wars BB-8 and Wonder Workshop’s Dash. Controlled by an app, these robots delight as they move around the room and respond to their environment. The BB-8, the toy version of the rolling droid from Star Wars, learns to avoid barriers as it rolls across the floor. The Dash is packed with microphones and sensors, better to respond to its owner and comes with apps that help kids learn about programming. Both start at $150.

It’s one thing to operate a robot but another to build and program one. Teaching kids to code is all the rage and toy companies have taken note.

For those kids who want to make their own robot, the Meccanoid 2.0, starting at about $100, is a kit for a 2-foot tall robot with six motors that rolls on wheels. It comes pre-programmed with commands but kids can also write their own programs and operate their robot via an app. For the budget conscious, there is Meccano Micronoids, a tiny version of the Meccanoids that does much of the same thing for under $30.

COJI, by WowWee, is a robot for kids as young as 7. This could also be a gift for preteens like my daughter who are obsessed with emojis, which are used to get the Coji to do things like play games or change facial expressions. The Coji (its name comes from “code” and “emoji) is under $50.

Blending real and digital worlds

The Play-doh Touch Shape to Life Studio, available at Apple for $39.99, lets your child make shapes with real Play-doh. Then, with a downloadable app on a smart phone or tablet, he or she scans the image and brings the shapes alive on a screen, where they scamper around and interact with other Play-doh creations.

Mattel’s Bloxels, starting at $38, is a video game building kit. Kids play around with colorful blocks to design their own video game, from how it looks to how it is played. The player organizes blocks in the physical world, and then switches to the digital world by using an app to snap a photo of their design. The resulting game is played on a computer or tablet.

Toy Shed Stikbots make great stocking stuffers. These funny-looking, flexible human-like figures with suction cup hands and feet run about $6 to $9 each, with 6 packs for about $21. With the free app, kids can make stop-motion animation. With a green screen, sold separately, kids can make their own movies that look professional.

If your kid is cooler than cool, a teen who spends hours on the GarageBand app making his or her own beat, you might want to consider Roli LightpadBlock, available at Apple for $180. Think of the Roli Block as a beautiful, compact digital version of an electronic keyboard. The block is a colorful wireless music surface made of silicone. Players make their own music by touching a glowing grid of squares.

After doing my own digital window shopping, I felt my anxiety fade and my excitement build. I might not be able to match the thrill of our family’s Atari Christmas, but I can come close.

Tips for tech toy shoppers

Safety: Parents should read reviews and check whether products have been deemed safe by organizations such as the Underwriters Laboratory, which checks design and circuitry.

Cybersafety: Many tech toys are connected to the internet and may require passwords to protect them from hackers. If you’re not comfortable with that, you may want to explore another option.

Privacy: As always, parents need to find out how much information a product collects about their child’s use of the technology and investigate how the maker uses that data.

Know your limits: Some tech toys take time to put together or figure out. Others can be used straight out of the box. Pick a toy that’s appropriate for your child’s age and interest level.

Michelle Quinn is a former business columnist for the Bay Area News Group. Prior to that, she was the Silicon Valley correspondent at Politico covering tech policy and politics. She has also covered the tech industry at the Los Angeles Times and the San Francisco Chronicle. She was a blogger for the New York Times.